


Adversity Builds Character

by january_sunshine



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Lance the menace amirite, Romance, Single Parents, good luck Shiro, if u wannabe my lover, u gotta bribe the kid or smth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10141541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/january_sunshine/pseuds/january_sunshine
Summary: To continue seeing the love of his life, Shiro has to be in good graces with her son. What he figures should be easy, winning over a four-year-old--proves challenging when said four-year-old is a little shit who doesn't quite approve of his mommy dating anyone. Antics ensue.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There's a Japanese proverb that's pretty relevant for this fic: **七転び八起き, Nanakorobi yaoki.**  
>  Meaning: "Fall seven times, stand up eight."
> 
> In this case... it's more like seventy. I've been sitting on this idea for a little while now, finally came up with something worth sharing.
> 
> Inspired by fanart from [meru90](http://meru90.tumblr.com/post/146853028606/nah).

"Shiro," she begins with his name, as these conversations often tend to.

She sits in front of him, his girlfriend of three months, balancing a porcelain cup of coffee in well-manicured fingertips while her eyes stare directly into him. He feels a mood whiplash that sends him reeling back to those years of his childhood, staring directly into his mother's eyes as she brought up a Serious Topic at the dinner table. School, new move, his life decisions. Important things. Things that aren't coffee-date things. She has that same aura about her, and he has to wonder what has he done?

He swallows involuntarily and masks it by taking another sip of his cappuccino, dark eyes locked onto blue. She blinks, and he tries to distract himself by looking at her eyelashes, so thick and dark and long and with a touch of mascara, and absolutely lovely. They curve so delicately around her bold sapphire eyes and he spends another moment just thinking about how gorgeous her eyes are.

God, everything's so gorgeous about Allura Altea, he has to wonder if he's dating a damn _model_.

"I've got something important to tell you."

He knew it. He lowers his cup, and she does the same, her hands reaching over to take his. Their fingers intertwine, and she looks away for a moment, trying to gather her wits--he's noticed this about her. When she hesitates, when she tries to find her words, when she's just not quite sure, she'll look to the side, so intensely, and _think_.

But it doesn't take long. It takes less time than her decisions between fettuccine alfredo and penne pomodoro, faster than the new boba flavor of the week.

"I should have honestly told you before, Shiro. But... I wanted to let you know now, before we continued this any further, because it is important. I just..."

She takes a deep breath.

"Did you want to tell me you're not British?" he asks.

And her composure breaks immediately, leaning forward with a laugh she has to stifle into their fingers. Her laugh just reminds him of music and summer. She shakes her head.

"No, that I most certainly am," she replies. "No... what I wanted to tell you was... I have a son."

A. Son. Like... an offspring.

"A son?" Shiro repeats.

She nods. "Mhmm. It just wouldn't be fair to you to keep that from you for longer."

And Shiro is certain his mind short-circuits. It takes a few moments for his thoughts to catch up to him, and all he has are questions. Was she married, is she _still_  married? How long has she been a mother?! How is he supposed to handle this? Is he the _other man_  to a swinger!?

He opens his mouth to reply:

"Ah... How old is he?"

She gives a shy smile. "He just turned four. Would you... like to see a picture?" But her smile grows at the question, brimming on the edge of her lips with sheer hope.

Now he can see why she reminded him of his mother, he realizes.

"I'd love to."

It takes Allura no time at all to detangle one hand and retrieve her phone, sliding the lock screen away to her background. He can see the picture of a smiling child, and it stuns him that, of all these months, he's never seen her background at all, screen usually open to a business message or spreadsheet because even on their dates she's working. She opens her photo album to a selfie of her with a small boy on her lap, dressed in a little plaid button-up with the biggest smile he's ever seen on a kid. It's Allura's smile, tried and true. He's even got her nose. Perched on his neatly-combed brown hair is a little tiara.

He's... absolutely precious.

"This is Lance, my little monkey. We took this one on his birthday, hence the tiara."

Shiro can't help but smile. Allura shares a few other pictures, of the boy hanging upside-down on a playground's jungle gym, one of him with a mess of paint all over his hands, even a rather modelesque one from a studio. It seems she has an entire album of them. Shiro's words travel faster than his mind can catch them:

"I'd love to meet him. He seems precious."

Allura suddenly hurries to his side, looking the most relieved he's seen her in months. It seems like it was a good call. But inside, he's terrified.

 

 

* * *

 

They'd arranged a lunch date for the following Saturday. Shiro figures it's the easiest way, bribing a kid with dessert but also bonding over food. It was a culture thing he was used to back at home, that he just kept as time passed. Most of his first meetings with friends were over snacks or group dinners. Surely, lunch with his girlfriend and her son would tide over smoothly.

To make things easier, they decided to meet for burgers, to a fast food restaurants where Lance said had the best waffle fries on Earth. It's one of his favorite restaurants, which adds to the bonus. With a little play-place for him to burn off extra energy, this has to be a good match.

However, Shiro still feels so nervous, which doesn't hesitate to worsen the moment Allura rolls up in her shiny black sedan. As she climbs out, she waves to him, but he can pick up her voice back in that mom-mode lilt when she turns back to the car. Opening the back door, she reaches in and soon he catches those matching blue eyes staring at him. Allura easily balances this kid on her hip as she locks up, purse already hooked on her arm while she walks over.

"Shiro! I hope we didn't keep you waiting long!"

Shiro smiles right back. "Nah, not long at all. Good to see you again, as always. And hello, you must be Lance." He holds out a hand, willing to shake.

And Lance just stares at it, expression blank but eyes sharp and piercing right at him. Allura, glancing between them, just bounces Lance on her hip.

"Lance, say hi to Shiro. This is mommy's friend. Remember what I told you yesterday?"

Lance doesn't speak for another few seconds, but then just mumbles the smallest of 'hello's and presses his face against Allura's shoulder. Shiro glances back at him, then to Allura, who just smiles and rubs the child's back. There's definitely something suspicious about this, almost unnerving in a way.

"He's just being shy. Isn't that right, Monkey?" But she doesn't bother waiting for a reply. Instead, she leans over and lets Shiro give her a small hug. "Alright, let's go in. I don't know about you two but I'm starving."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance seems completely pacified by the fries. Shiro attempts small talk and learns that the boy's favorite color is blue--hence his sneakers, which are the best blue, designed with black and yellow stars and swirls--and that he really loves waffle fries, but his favorite food is cheese pizza.

Allura watches the two of them mildly, reminding Lance to slow down on trying to inhale his hamburger but otherwise keeping her own input to a minimum. She wonders if perhaps Shiro isn't used to kids, or if something about Shiro makes Lance nervous. Normally, her son is a nonstop chatterbox, going on and about anything on his mind from something he's learned at pre-school to just asking strange questions. Perhaps he really _is_  being shy. Or maybe this is his way of being 'good', which she'd asked him to be. But Shiro is patient with him, and it's actually endearing to watch. She has to smile. It's actually rather cute.

"Do you think you'll play any sports growing up?" Shiro asks, setting another waffle fry on Lance's tray.

Lance grins, picking it up immediately. "I dunno, maybe baseball. I'm really good."

"Baseball, huh! That's a good sport to choose there."

Lance grins, but shoves the entire fry into his mouth, despite Allura's warning glance. So far, so smooth, to Shiro at least. Lance still seems a little stiff, but he's a lively boy and doesn't seem to mind answering. He's a pretty precious kid, Shiro has to admit.

But of course, a business call had to interrupt their bonding. Even on her off days, Allura was constantly busy. The two watch as she excuses herself, to Shiro's word that they'll be good in her absence.

And from that, Lance turns to Shiro, eyes narrowed and sharp.

"How long are you going to be friends with my mommy?" he asks, blunt and questioning.

Shiro's taken aback by the bluntness of it all. This seemingly shy and mild-mannered boy... He swallows. "Uh... For as long as we can? I like your mommy. She's very nice."

Lance reaches over and takes another one of his fries. "She's the nicest mommy ever." He stands up and a smug smirk curls on his lips. "But she doesn't need another man because she's already got me."

And he takes off to go to the play-place while he shoves the fry into his mouth, leaving Shiro at a complete loss for words.

What...

What just happened here?

 

 

* * *

 

 

_"But she doesn't need another man because she's already got me."_

Shiro thinks about that line when Allura returns and asks how they've been getting along. He thinks about it as he lies with a smile--it's fine, everything's _just fine_. He thinks about it when they get milkshakes, and Shiro lets Lance get the Oreo pieces _and_ the mini M &Ms, despite the sugar content. He can hear the line murmured back even as Lance grins when he thanks him.  It whispers in his mind when they wave goodbye, as Lance stares at him from the window as he waves them off. It plays in his mind louder than the radio as he drives back home, as he kicks off his shoes and drops on his couch. It's louder than his text tone, Allura making sure he got home safely.

He sighs, drags his prosthetic hand down his face--and he wonders. Is this it, is this why? The hair? The scar?

Did Lance think he was _weird_?!

Shiro sighs again.

He needs a drink.


End file.
